Voters Have Ousted Notorious Florida Prosecutor Angela Corey

She was known nationally for failing to convict Trayvon Martin’s killer, and for prosecuting Marissa Alexander.

August 31, 2016

State Attorney Angela Corey listens to a victim’s impact statement at the Duval County Courthouse in Jacksonville, Florida, on March 9, 2010. (Bruce Lipsky / Florida Times-Union / AP)

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Last night, Angela Corey—a two-term prosecutor in Duval County who may be the “cruelest prosecutor in America”—lost her election to Melissa Nelson, who worked as a prosecutor under Corey, went into private practice, and represented Cristian Fernandez, the 12-year-old whom Corey charged with first-degree murder as an adult.

Corey’s resounding loss—Nelson beat her by 38 points—represents the first time a Jacksonville state attorney has lost a contested election in modern history. It comes on the heels of several public embarrassments, including allegations that she pressured her employees for election donations and used public money to give raises to herself and one of her “deadliest” prosecutors, Bernie de la Rionda. She gained national attention for losing her case against Trayvon Martin’s killer, George Zimmerman, and for prosecuting Marissa Alexander, a mother who fired a gun to scare off an abusive husband. And under Corey, Duval County sentenced more people to death per capita than any other county in the nation. Stephen Harper, a law professor at Florida International University, said in an e-mail: “It is refreshing to see that a prosecutor who is simply too far out on the limb of injustice was soundly defeated by a prosecutor who will seek the death penalty only in the worst of the worst cases.”

The high-profile cases have brought an unusual amount of attention to the district—something voters seem to have had enough of. “This city has been embarrassed across the country by Angela Corey,” Hank Coxe, a former president of the Florida Bar, told The New York Times.

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The election this year had a whiff of Jim Crow about it. There were accusations and a related lawsuit alleging that Corey intentionally closed the primary by having her campaign manager file papers for a third-party candidate (the action was deemed legal). In Florida, party primaries are open to all voters if there’s no one from another party running. Since there was no Democrat in the race, the Republican primary for state attorney would have been an open election had those papers not been filed. By closing the primary, Corey’s campaign manager effectively shut out anyone who was not a registered Republican—almost all black voters. Although Corey argued that anyone could change their party designation, the trick seemed timed to tilt the election in her favor.

Corey’s ouster suggests that people in Jacksonville recognized the power of prosecutors—often obscure figures to the general public—in creating a regime that they didn’t like: one under which 12-year-olds are sent to adult prison and a startlingly large number of people are sent to death row. Organizers, ranging from faith-based ministries to those who backed Marissa Alexander and Trayvon Martin, came together to bring public awareness to the importance of the county prosecutor’s role.

By voting out Corey, voters are sending a strong signal—the same one sent to Anita Alvarez, a state attorney in Chicago’s Cook County, in March. Dale Cox, the notorious district attorney of Caddo Parish in Louisiana, bowed out of his race last year after a national outcry over his use of the death penalty. These prosecutors were known for being ruthless, and each of them jailed and executed hundreds of black and brown people in their districts. Perhaps these elections are a sign that criminal-justice reform will come from the grassroots, beginning with the people who are affected, rather than from above.

Jessica PishkoTwitterJessica Pishko is a San Francisco–based writer for the Fair Punishment Project. She has written for Rolling Stone, Pacific Standard, and San Francisco magazine.

Yes, Anita Alvarez and Dale Cox had a lot to answer for to their constituency and the organization against them was certainly refreshing, but it's also worth noing here that George Soros almost single-handedly funded both of their defeats, with Cox dropping out mid-race and then saying he couldn't keep up with his opposition's war chest. Fighting fire with fire doesn't hurt I guess.

Either way, glad they and Corey will both be looking for work.

(7)(3)

Paul Myronsays:

September 3, 2016 at 9:04 am

Yeah, legal analysts at Fox News.

(3)(1)

Rod Tannersays:

August 31, 2016 at 4:35 pm

As Karl Rove and his henchmen (whom I believe include the Koch brothers) know far too well, any judicial official who is elected can be bought, and any judicial election can be inexpensively fixed. The Rove Gang started by buying state supreme and appellate court judges and elections, but there are relatively few of those.

As a litigation attorney, I've received decisions from superior court (county) judges in recent years that make me suspect those courts are also being bought. Thirty seven states elect their judges and prosecutors. Our federal and state legislators have long been corrupt. The Rove Gang is working to ensure our judiciaries are also.

(17)(2)

Rod Tannersays:

August 31, 2016 at 4:37 pm

P.S. This is meant to suggest that Corey's seat was bought for her, not Nelson's.

(7)(1)

Carolyn Herzsays:

August 31, 2016 at 2:39 pm

Prosecutors are rarely held to account for their misconduct. It is so refreshing that the citizens, more than a court or an attorney disciplinary body, told Angela Corey and Anita Alvarez, "enough is enough."

(21)(0)

Cheryl Pressgrovesays:

August 31, 2016 at 1:54 pm

At last some citizens have taken off their blinders and realized we don't need extremists to met out justice. Hopefully, in upcoming elections many citizens will do likewise. It's time we cleared out a lot of the people representing us who don't speak for the majority.

(15)(0)

Allene Swienckowskisays:

August 31, 2016 at 12:28 pm

I agree with Rbt B Quillen, but we as citizens need to take our participation a step further - by educating and advocating with the 90% or more defendants that plead guilty in order to avoid greater sentences if they lose their case(s) in a court trial.

(22)(0)

Nancy Keilersays:

August 31, 2016 at 1:14 pm

Really, I so agree with you but in doing this it would flood the system which is not equipped to handle so many cases. There is no justice.

(2)(1)

Joseph Stanssays:

August 31, 2016 at 12:26 pm

﻿ “This city has been embarrassed across the country by Angela Corey,” Hank Coxe, a former president of the Florida Bar, told The New York Times.
It is a shame that the brainless fools in the county had to wait to be enlightened by an out of state newspaper. But, hey, it is Florida, and the lamp of learning never has burned bright there.

(22)(4)

Joseph Chavezsays:

September 4, 2016 at 3:04 am

The bulb is purposely kept dim, it seems. Those in power have not as much power as people think.

(2)(0)

Rbt B Quillensays:

August 31, 2016 at 11:49 am

I remember participating in a court watching program in the 70's. We organized to have someone in court to take notes on each case w hen the court was in session. It is time for a citizen action program, first for specific courts, then generally for the courts. This is a missing element in our justice system, that would help heighten justice. It is more than "judicial watch," as good as that is.